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vehicle .
The staff at the CPSC has benefited from our efforts .
We made the same offer to the majority staff members of the
Subcommittee . Honda proposed a meeting with Mr . Takeuchi and an
introductory riding course . Unfortunately , we were politely
refused .
Honda and the other industry members have been unfairly
tried in the press based upon incorrect and misleading
information and by statements from uninformed persons .
Yet , we
stand ready to offer our assistance , experience , and knowledge in
a concerted effort to reduce accidents and injuries .
There is much meaningful work to be done .
Mr . BARNARD . Mr . Schmitt . STATEMENT OF MICHAEL J . SCHMITT , YAMAHA MOTOR CORP . ,
U . S . A . Mr . SCHMITT . Thank you and good afternoon . My name is Mike Schmitt and I represent Yamaha Motor Corp . I am going to be very , very brief . We have a written statement for the record . I cer tainly don ' t want to repeat any of the things said by Mr . Glynn , which we , of course , agree with .
Yamaha is a household word . It has been producing fine quality pianos , organs , stereos , but most notably , motorized products - mo torcycles , snowmobiles , generators , and the new ATV .
What is the ATV ? Our written submission goes into great detail on the production and design of that unit . But let me leave you with this , just very briefly . It takes years to design , test , and devel op a new product . These aren ' t nuts and bolts just randomly put together . They represent a high degree of state of the art . They are technologically advanced vehicles . They incorporate any and all practical safety features in them .
What causes ATV accidents ? It is not the product . We have heard this morning the causes . I will list them again : driving on paved roads , alcohol , passengers .
What is going to be done ? I think the key to reducing these acci dents is public awareness . The users out there have to realize the warnings . They shouldn ' t ride these on a paved road . They shouldn ' t drink alcohol and they shouldn ' t carry passengers .
OK , what is the industry doing ? Well , I think our goal is to work with the CPSC to fully understand these causation factors . We then can develop voluntary standards as we are doing now . And once again , public awareness of these dangers are key .
I think the Forest Service has an excellent public relations spokesman in Smokey the Bear . And let me address this to the ATV user . Remember , only you can prevent ATV accidents .
Thank you . [ The prepared statement of Mr . Schmitt follows : ]